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Premier League 2019/2020 Monthly Round-Up:
August 2019
By Liam Carr
Despite it only being September, over ten percent of the Premier League has
already been completed going into September’s international fixtures for the
2020 UEFA European Championships Qualifying.
The opening match weeks to this season has
also shown that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and
Guardiola’s Manchester City are going to be
the main two contenders again this season for
the Premier League title with their stunning
performances throughout their opening games.
Liverpool are the only side with a hundred
percent record after their four matches so far
this season with their most impressive win
coming at home with a 3-1 victory over Arse-
nal courtesy of a Mo Salah brace and Joel
Matip’s first goal for nearly a year with his
first half header. Liverpool have also won their
matches with a style that is quite the opposite
of their main rivals Manchester City. Whilst
the Citizens have the highest amount of com-
pleted passes in the league, Liverpool seem to
favouring a more direct approach to their game
with Klopp’s side having the fifth most long
balls played, behind the likes of Burnley and
newly promoted Sheffield United. Liverpool
arguably have the best full backs in the league
and in Europe with Andrew Robertson and
Trent Alexander-Arnold. The left and right
back, both called up to international duty for
their nations, have been responsible for Liver-
pool being the highest crossers of the ball in
the division with 101 crosses completed after
just four games. Out of the 101, sixty-nine of
them have been completed by the full back
pair, and five of Liverpool’s twelve goals
scored have come from crosses.
Manchester City haven’t managed to win all
their fixtures unlike Liverpool however they’re
still unbeaten, which is also something that
Brendan Rogers’ Leicester City side can boast
going into the break. Guardiola’s expensively
assembled side dropped two points with a 2-2
draw at home to Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs
who only managed two shots but managed to
hold on to a valuable draw away from home.
It has been a very strange start for the North
Londoners, one win, two draws and a loss,
with two of those fixtures being played away
against fellow Big Six sides, most Spurs
supporters probably would have been quite
content with that record at this point in the
season. However, a lot of the issues seem to
stem from what is going on behind the scenes
at Tottenham with the futures of key players in
the air still even after surviving the extended
European transfer window. Tottenham also
seem like they have forgotten how to defend,
six goals conceded in four games is not a
pretty reading stat for the side that had the best
defensive record in the league just four and
three years ago with largely the same squad. It
can be suggested that Tottenham’s lack of
options at right back after the sale of Kieran
Trippier are the main reasons for the struggling
defensive performances with the likes of
Davinson Sanchez looking largely out of his
depth, particularly against Arsenal in which
Spurs let go off a two-goal lead from the first
half. The fact that Hugo Lloris has made the most
saves out of any other goalkeeper so far this season,
speaks volumes about the state of the Spurs defence.
Despite Spurs’ defensive woes, they’re not even the
worst defence in London, Chelsea hold that crown
for the time being with a staggering nine goals
conceded within their opening four fixtures. Four
goals conceded against Manchester United, two
against Norwich, two against Sheffield United and
one against Leicester. Whilst Frank Lampard’s
young English side have been scoring the goals they
have needed, their defensive concerns will certainly
keep the manager’s mind ticking over the interna-
tional break, and with the Blues unable to bring in
any new signings until next season, Lampard will
certainly have his work cut out in terms in what he
has to improve over the coming season.
West Ham faced a difficult start to the season with a
5-0 defeat at home to Manchester City, however, the
Hammers now sit at 7 th in the table. Their highest
position at this point in the season for twenty years.
They finished ninth in that 1999/2000 season and
with new record signing Sebastian Haller getting
himself a few goals already, the Iron will be very
pleased with how they currently stand and hope they
can push for seventh place in the table come the end
of the season in May.
Mo Salah cel-
ebrates one
of his goals in
the 3-1 win
against Arse-
nal
“It has been
a very
strange
start for the
North Lon-
doners”
of the table compared to what many pre-
dicted with main relegation favourites
Brighton currently 16 th place on four points
after a 1-1 draw with West Ham and an
impressive 3-0 win away at Watford on the
first week of the season. Graham Porter’s
side have looked good for the most part and
may prove to be better off than what many
would have expected would be a very
difficult campaign. However, it is still very
early days and any injury to the likes of
Glenn Murray or Lewis Dunk could leave
serious problems for the Seagulls. There is
also the case of surprise last place Watford
with only one point in their opening four
matches which has led to the sacking of
Javi Gracia. Watford have now appointed
fan-favourite, Quique Sanchez-Flores as
head coach. The Spaniard guided Watford
to 13 th in their first season back in the
Premier League in 2015/2016. He then left
at the end of the season which was general-
ly received as a bit of a shock considering
the general success he brought to the
Hornets during that campaign. Those
involved with the club will be hoping that
Flores will be able to get Watford out of
trouble and back into a more solid mid-
table position.
So, with all that said, it looks like it will be
another season with plenty of twists during
the 2019/2020 Premier League season.
It may also prove to be a tighter season at the bottom
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